A damaged vehicle is seen amid debris after a tornado hit the town of Mayflower, Arkansas around 7:30 pm CST, late April 27, 2014. (Reuters) / Reuters

Fourteen people have been confirmed dead after a swarm of tornadoes swept through the US Midwest and South, leaving a trail of destruction. More stormy weather is expected in the coming hours.

At least 31 tornadoes were reported by the National Weather
Agency to have hit Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Louisiana,
Nebraska and Oklahoma.

Arkansas was the worst affected – with a three-quarter of a
mile-wide tornado instantaneously leveling buildings caught in
its way. At least 14 people have died in the state, local
officials said on Monday. Previously, it was reported that as
many as 18 had died.

“It's been a truly awful night for many families,
neighborhoods and communities, but Arkansans always step up to
help each other recover,” Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe
tweeted, ahead of his visit to the affected areas on Monday
morning.

The tornado hit at about 7 pm Sunday near Little Rock, Arkansas,
the hometown of former US President Bill Clinton and former
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and then plowed
through the landscape for approximately 80 miles – decimating the
small towns of Mayflower and Vilonia.

Meteorologists estimated that it was an EF3 tornado, meaning
winds of more than 136 miles per hour. The last time such a
strong tornado had been recorded in the US was in November, an
unusual lull for a country that experiences about 1,200 tornadoes
a year, far more than any other.

Another powerful tornado hit the town of Quapaw in Oklahoma,
killing one person, before moving into the neighboring state of
Kansas.

An 11-month-old boy also died Sunday in North Carolina after
being caught in a separate twister on Friday.

Further weather damage is expected until the middle of the week,
as the storm front moves across the country, toward the
southeastern tip of the US.

“Widespread severe storms – including strong tornadoes,
damaging winds and very large hail – are expected Monday and
Monday night over parts of the eastern United States,” the
National Weather Service warned.